Hindley Earnshaw
Hindley Earnshaw is a major character in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw, the brother of Catherine Earnshaw, the foster brother of Heathcliff, the husband of Frances Earnshaw and the father of Hareton Earnshaw. He becomes extremely hateful towards Heathcliff after he is taken into his home, and constantly makes his life miserable, resulting in Heathcliff's vengeful acts against him. Description Once a spoiled boy from the beginning, Hindley Earnshaw soon develops into a cruel man. He had always been loved and accepted by his family, especially his father Mr. Earnshaw. But once a gypsy orphan named Heathcliff is adopted by the father, Hindley immediately began to hate his new foster brother, mostly to the fact that the strange boy received more love and attention from Mr. Earnshaw. Once he had grown up and inherited Wuthering Heights, he can finally take the opportunity to abuse and mistreat Heathcliff without his father there to stop him. Hindley's time away from his home also had a change on him. Before he leaves for college, he was a bratty boy who is the heir to the Heights and feels left out when no one hardly pays attention to him after Heathcliff's arrival. After he attends college and returns home to the Heights, he had become a proper, noble man of upper status and can finally have everything that he wants: his family, his social status, and his cruelty towards Heathcliff. But after the death of his wife following the birth of their son, Hindley's behaviour goes more violent. He becomes an addicted drinker and gambler, which causes him to have a terrible temper but ultimately ruined himself after he gambled huge amounts of money to Heathcliff, which proved to be his ultimate downfall of his hatred towards his foster brother and enemy. Storyline Early Years at Wuthering Heights Hindley was born at Wuthering Heights in Yorkshire, around the year 1757, the first child of Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw. He was nursed by one of the servants who had a young daughter named Nelly who became a foster sister and servant to the family. Hindley's younger sister Catherine was born 7 years later after him. For the first few years of his childhood, Hindley and his sister lived a normal life at their home at the Heights. When he was 14 years old, Hindley's father prepares to depart for a business trip to Liverpool. When asked what he would like his father to bring him back, Hindley requested a fiddle. Upon Mr. Earnshaw's departure, the boy and his sister waited eagerly and impatiently for their father to return. 3 days later, Mr. Earnshaw arrives home but the fiddle he had brought for Hindley was broken. Instead, he brought back a dark-haired orphan named Heathcliff from Liverpool. Hindley becomes jealous of the child when he was looked after more affectionately from his father than him and that his sister Catherine is starting to take a liking to him as well. At some point, Hindley and his siblings fell ill with the measles. He recovers, and so does Catherine and Heathcliff, after Nelly had looked after them and begins to feel more sympathetic for the gypsy boy. Mrs. Earnshaw, who also despised Heathcliff, dies less than two years later, Hindley had no one else left to support him into hating the boy. One time, Hindley and Heathcliff received two young horses from their father. But after the handsome horse Heathcliff picked turns lame, he demanded Hindley to trade his horse to him. He refuses to and his brother tries to fight him, so he can get him into trouble by showing their father bruises as proof that Hindley had beaten him. He finally gives Heathcliff the horse, calls him an "imp of Satan" and threatens that the horse would "kick his brains out". Ownership of Wuthering Heights Several years go by. Mr. Earnshaw's health was failing and Hindley was sent off to college by his father. Sometime while at college, Hindley met and fell in love with a giddy woman named Frances. They soon married and after the death of Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley was called back home to attend the funeral and claim his inheritance of the Heights. He brings Frances back home with him. Once he becomes the new owner of the house, Hindley immediately begins to make some changes. He moved the servants to the back quarters, forces Heathcliff to give up his education and have him work in the fields. But most of the time, Hindley generally ignores Heathcliff and is unaware that both Heathcliff and Catherine go out onto the moors everyday. One night, after Heathcliff and Catherine failed to return home, Hindley orders all the doors and windows locked up so they can't get inside. He may have been unaware that Catherine is kept at the nearby house Thrushcross Grange while spying on the Linton family with Heathcliff and is now kept there to be pampered into a proper lady. When he does find out, he angrily tells Heathcliff to never talk to her again. 5 weeks later, Catherine comes home and Hindley had arranged a Christmas party, where the Linton's are invited but Heathcliff would not be allowed to attend, although he does anyway with Nelly's help. During the party, however, Hindley sees Heathcliff dressed properly he declares that he must be locked away into the attic until the end of dinner and threatens to beat him if he ever comes back down. But after Heathcliff throws hot applesauce at Edgar after he criticizes his dirty hair, Hindley takes Heathcliff upstairs and locks him in the attic. He then enjoys the rest of the party without him. Descending into Alcoholism/Gambling In June 1778, Frances gives birth to a healthy baby boy named Hareton, but dies a week later in Hindley's arms from consumption following childbirth. He is devastated of losing his wife and immediately takes no interest in his newborn son. He assigns Nelly to look after the infant while he seeks comfort by drinking. He also made curses at God and became more cruel towards the servants, even to Heathcliff. He had also told Nelly to supervise Catherine. Hindley went out one afternoon while Heathcliff is angry at the idea of Catherine being with the Linton's more than him. He arrives home the following day, where Nelly had removed the bullets from his firearm which he would sometimes use when he drank too much. But when he is drunk, he grabs Hareton from Nelly and went upstairs when he accidentally dropped his son over the banister, but Heathcliff arrived just in time to catch the child from falling. 3 years later, after Catherine marries Edgar Linton and moves to Thrushcross Grange with him, Hindley remains back at Wuthering Heights with Hareton and his servant Joseph. He soon got into gambling and when Heathcliff returns as a wealthy gentleman, he invites him to stay at the Heights. But he is foolish when it comes to lending him rent money, and Heathcliff in return began offering him more funds to support his gambling addiction. Death After Heathcliff and Isabella Linton elope and live at the Heights, Hindley is among the servants who treat her miserably. He had even shown her his gun with a spring knife attached to the barrel, and he will plan to use it to kill Heathcliff. He would lurk around outside his bedroom door, waiting for his chance when it is unlocked. He lends the gun to Isabella, but snatches it back in jealously when she becomes astonished by it. By now, he had long, shaggy hair and was becoming insane. He is also hoping to get all of the money back he had gambled to Heathcliff and his house. Upon his sister's death in childbirth, he was invited to her funeral but does not attend. He attempted to be sober when he is about to go but he ends up drinking instead. He locks the doors while Heathcliff is out paying his respects to Catherine and tells Isabella that he is about to shoot him. When he comes back, Hindley shoots him from the first-floor window, but has his wrist cut by the gun's bayonet blade. Heathcliff breaks into the house and beats him. The next day, he wakes up without remembering what had happened, and Isabella reminded him about it. He and Heathcliff get into a fight while Isabella flees from the Heights. Six months later, Hindley dies and having lost all of his money from being swindled by Heathcliff, he takes his place as the owner of Wuthering Heights and his young son Hareton becomes Heathcliff's servant. Personality/Appearance Hindley, like his sister Catherine, was a spoiled young man. He had been used to his father's deep affections on him and Catherine, especially some of the presents that they had wanted from Mr. Earnshaw while he was away. He was originally a good-natured and well-behaved boy who lived a decent lifestyle until the mysterious Gypsy boy named Heathcliff came into his life. Relationships Heathcliff- Hindley's foster brother and enemy. Frances Earnshaw- Hindley's wife. Appearances in film/TV External Links Category:Male characters Category:Characters Category:Brontë Characters Category:Brothers Category:Fathers Category:Villains Category:Husbands Category:Deceased characters